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Santos To Be Inducted Into Patriots Hall Of Fame

Patriots radio announcers Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti. (Courtesy of the New England Patriots)

BOSTON (CBS) – Gil Santos may be retiring as the voice of the Patriots at the end of the season, but he will forever be remembered at Gillette Stadium.

During a pregame ceremony to honor Santos and Gino Cappelletti, Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft announced that Santos will be a 2013 inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame.

Santos, who served as the voice of the Patriots for 36 seasons, will become the 20th person to be inducted and just the second non-player to earn the honor as a contributor for his off-field contributions to the team.

Sunday was Santos’ 743rd career Patriots game. He is currently tied with Philadelphia’s Merrill Reese as the longest tenured broadcaster for a team in the NFL.

“There will never be another tandem like Gil and Gino,” said Kraft. “They are two Patriots icons and legendary broadcasters. I am proud to say that they will both be known as Patriots Hall of Famers. Gil has always had such a great voice. We are lucky that his radio calls will be indelibly linked to the most memorable moments in our franchise’s history and we are happy to preserve his legacy in The Hall for generations to come.”

Santos began calling games for the Boston Patriots at Fenway Park in 1966, and for the first five seasons provided color analysis alongside veteran play-by-play man Bob Starr. When the team moved to Foxborough in 1971, Santos moved into his current role as play-by-play voice of the Patriots (1971-79). WBZ lost the Patriots radio rights in the 1980s, but got them back in 1991 and returned Santos to his natural position, which he has held for the last 22 seasons.

Cappelletti, who retired from his color commentary duties after last season, is already a member of the Patriot’s Hall of Fame.